Wirral Council

Wirral Council, or Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority since 2014.

Wirral Council
Coat of arms
Corporate logo
Type
Type	Metropolitan borough council
Leadership
Mayor	Cherry Povall, Conservative since 15 May 2024[1]
Leader	Paul Stuart, Labour since 24 May 2023[2]
Chief Executive	Paul Satoor since 2019[3]
Structure
Seats	66 councillors[4]
Political groups	Labour (29)   Conservative (17)   Green (14)   Liberal Democrat (6)
Joint committees	Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	6 May 2027
Motto
By Faith and Foresight
Meeting place
Town Hall, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, CH41 5EU
Website
wirral.gov.uk

The council has been under no overall control since 2019, with the leader of the council belonging to the Labour Party. Council meetings are held at Birkenhead Town Hall and the main administrative offices are at Alice Ker Square in Birkenhead.

History

The metropolitan district of Wirral and its council were created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:^[5][6]

• Bebington Municipal Borough
• Birkenhead County Borough
• Hoylake Urban District
• Wallasey County Borough
• Wirral Urban District (Covered an area on the west side of the peninsula, with its council based in Heswall.)

The two county boroughs, Birkenhead and Wallasey, had provided all local government services in their areas. The other three districts had been lower-tier authorities with Cheshire County Council providing county-level services. The area was transferred from Cheshire to become of the five districts in the new metropolitan county of Merseyside. The first election to the new council was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities. The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.^[7]

The new Wirral district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.^[8] The council styles itself Wirral Council rather than its full formal name of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.^[9]

From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by Merseyside County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Merseyside's five borough councils, including Wirral, with some services provided through joint committees.^[10]

Since 2014 the council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of the Liverpool City Region since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across the region, but Wirral Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.^[11][12]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019, being led by a Labour minority administration.

Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:^[13][14]

Party in Control		Years
	No overall control	1974–1975
	Conservative	1975–1986
	No overall control	1986–1991
	Labour	1991–1992
	No overall control	1992–1995
	Labour	1995–2002
	No overall control	2002–2012
	Labour	2012–2019
	No overall control	2019–present

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Wirral (also termed the "Civic Mayor" to distinguish it from the Metro Mayor) is largely ceremonial. They represent the borough at civic functions, support local charities and chair council meetings. They are expected to be politically impartial whilst they hold the post, although they do get a casting vote in the event of a tie.^[15]

Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:^[16]

Councillor	Image	Party		From	To
Malcolm Thornton[17]			Conservative	1974	1977
Harry Deverill			Conservative	1977	1980
David Fletcher			Conservative	1980	1985
John Hale			Conservative	1985	Oct 1986
			No overall control	1986	1990
Yvonne Nolan			Labour	1990	1991
George Clark			Labour	1991	1992
			No overall control	1992	1995
Dave Jackson			Labour	1995	2000
Steve Foulkes			Labour	2000	24 May 2010
Jeff Green			Conservative	24 May 2010	23 May 2011
Steve Foulkes			Labour	23 May 2011	13 Feb 2012
Jeff Green			Conservative	13 Feb 2012	21 May 2012
Phil Davies			Labour	21 May 2012	5 May 2019
Pat Hackett			Labour	14 May 2019	Sep 2020
Janette Williamson[18]			Labour	28 Sep 2020	24 May 2023
Paul Stuart[19]			Labour	24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election and a change of allegiance in January 2024, the composition of the council was:^[20][21]

Party		Councillors
	Labour	29
	Conservative	17
	Green	14
	Liberal Democrats	6
Total		66

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

Wallasey Town Hall, one of the council's other buildings.

Council meetings are held at Birkenhead Town Hall, which was completed in 1887 for the former Birkenhead Borough Council.^[22][23] The council's main offices are at Alice Ker Square in the centre of Birkenhead, being a modern office development completed in 2023. Prior to 2023 the council met at Wallasey Town Hall and had additional offices at the Cheshire Lines Committee building on Canning Street in Birkenhead.^[24]

Elections

See also: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 66 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing three councillors.^[25] The whole council is elected together every four years from 2023 onwards, having previously been elected a third of the council at a time.^[26]

Wards and councillors

Each ward is represented by three councillors.^[27]

Parliamentary constituency	Ward	Councillor		Party	Term of office	First elected (re-entered)
Birkenhead	Bidston and St James		Liz Grey	Labour	2023–27	2018
			Brian Kenny	Labour	2023–27	2006 (2015)
			Julie McManus	Labour	2023-27	2016
	Birkenhead and Tranmere		Pat Cleary	Green	2023–27	2014
			Amanda Onwuemene	Green	2023-27	2022
			Ewan Tomeny	Green	2023-27	2023
	Claughton		Gillian Wood	Labour	2023–27	2017
			Steve Foulkes	Labour	2023–27	1990
			George Davies	Labour	2023-27	1988
	Oxton		Allan Brame	Liberal Democrats	2023–27	2018
			Mike Redfern	Liberal Democrats	2023-27	2023
			Stuart Kelly	Liberal Democrats	2023-27	1991 (1998, 2016)
	Prenton		Naomi Graham	Green	2023–27	2022
			Chris Cooke	Green	2023–27	2019
			Harry Gorman	Green	2023-27	2021
	Rock Ferry		Craig McDonald	Green	2023-27	2023
			Paula Basnett	Labour	2023-27	2022
			Tony Murphy	Labour	2023-27	2021
Wallasey	Leasowe and Moreton East		Angela Davies	Labour	2023-27	2015
			Paul Jobson	Labour	2023-27	2023
			Louise Luxon-Kewley	Labour	2023-27	2023
	Liscard		Janette Williamson	Labour	2023-27	2012
			Daisy Kenny	Labour	2023-27	2021
			James Laing	Labour	2023-27	2021
	Moreton West and Saughall Massie		Vida Wilson	Conservative	2023-27	2022
			Gary Bennett	Conservative	2023-27	2023
			Colin Baldwin	Conservative	2023-27	2023
	New Brighton		Sue Powell-Wilde	Labour	2023-27	2022
			Paul Martin	Labour	2023-27	2021
			Tony Jones	Labour	2023-27	2016
	Seacombe		Tom Laing	Labour	2023-27	2023
			Kaitlin Stuart	Labour	2023-27	2023
			Paul Stuart	Labour	2023-27	2016
	Wallasey		Lesley Rennie	Conservative	2023-27	1991 (1997)
			Brenda Hall	Labour	2023-27	2007
			Ian Lewis	Conservative	2023-27	1999 (2008, 2013, 2016)
Wirral South	Bebington		Judith Grier	Green	2023-27	2022
			Ed Lamb	Green	2023-27	2023
			Jason Walsh	Green	2023-27	2021
	Bromborough		Ruth Molyneux	Green	2023-27	2023
			Kieran Murphy	Green	2023-27	2023
			Jo Bird	Green [n 1]	2023-27	2018
	Clatterbridge		Mary Jordon	Conservative	2023-27	2018
			Helen Cameron	Conservative	2023-27	2019
			Cherry Povall JP	Conservative	2023-27	2008
	Eastham		Chris Carubia	Liberal Democrats	2023-27	2014
			Helen Raymond	Liberal Democrats	2023-27	2023
			Phil Gilchrist	Liberal Democrats	2023-27	1977 (1992)
	Heswall		Graham Davies	Conservative	2023-27	2023
			Andrew Hodson	Conservative	2023-27	1994
			Kathy Hodson	Conservative	2023-27	2013
Wirral West	Greasby, Frankby and Irby		Gail Jenkinson	Green	2023-27	2023
			Grahame McManus	Labour	2023-27	2023
			Mark Skillicorn	Labour	2023-27	2023
	Hoylake and Meols		Tony Cox	Conservative	2023-27	2011 (2018)
			Max Booth	Conservative	2023-27	2023
			Andrew Gardner	Conservative	2023-27	2018
	Pensby and Thingwall		Ann Ainsworth	Labour	2023-27	2003
			Richie Pitt	Labour	2023-27	2019
			Mike Sullivan	Labour	2023-27	2021
	Upton		Stephen Bennett	Labour	2023-27	2022
			Jerry Williams	Labour	2023-27	2023
			Jean Robinson	Labour	2023-27	2018
	West Kirby and Thurstaston		Jeff Green	Conservative	2023-27	1986
			Jenny Johnson	Conservative	2023-27	2019
			Simon Mountney	Conservative	2023-27	2004 (2021)

Notes

1. Expelled from the Labour Party in November 2021.^[28] Joined Green Party in March 2022.^[29]

References

1. Barnes, Ed (16 May 2024). "Wirral 'on the brink of major transformational changes' says new mayor". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
2. "Wirral Council leader deposed by her deputy in dramatic coup". 10 May 2023.
3. "Council minutes, 23 October 2019". Wirral Council. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
4. "Councillors". www.wirral.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
5. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 18 June 2023
6. "The Metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/137, retrieved 18 June 2023
7. "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 30 May 2024
8. "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
9. "Find your local council". gov.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
10. "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
11. "The Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral Combined Authority Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/865, retrieved 5 June 2024
12. "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
13. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
14. "Wirral". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
15. "Mayor of Wirral". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
16. "Council minutes". Wirral Council. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
17. "Pilot will take helm of Wirral Council". Liverpool Echo. 16 March 1974. p. 7. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
18. Manning, Craig (29 September 2020). "Wirral Council appoints first female leader in 30 years". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
19. Barnes, Edward (24 May 2023). "Tensions erupt as Wirral Council elects new leader". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
20. "Local elections 2023: full council results for England". The Guardian. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
21. Manning, Craig (3 January 2024). "Councillor Gail Jenkinson leaves Labour for Wirral Green Party". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
22. "Calendar". Wirral Council. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
23. "Council offices". Wirral Council. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
24. Nightingale, Chloe (20 October 2023). "New Birkenhead office buildings handed over to Wirral Council". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
25. "The Borough of Wirral (Electoral Changes) Order 2003", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2003/1980, retrieved 18 June 2023
26. Morgan, George (21 March 2022). "Five things we learnt from crucial Wirral Council meeting". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
27. "Your Councillors by Ward". www.wirral.gov.uk. Wirral Council. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
28. BBC News (22 November 2021). "Wirral councillor Jo Bird expelled by Labour party over banned group". BBC News. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
29. "Former Labour Councillor Jo Bird Joins Green Party". Wirral Green Party. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.

External links

• Wirral Council
• Wirral Conservatives
• Wirral Green Party
• Wirral Labour
• Wirral Lib Dems